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English Makes No Sense
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That's What They Say
by Anne Curzan, Rebecca Hector
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Ranking history · Germany
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Latest episodes
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TWTS: When "f" and "v" were sort of one
October 16, 2026 · 5 minIf you know how the sound ‘f’ worked in Old English, it suddenly isn’t mysterious why the noun "leaf" with an "f" turns into "leaves" with a "v" when you make it plural
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TWTS: Why no one is "gonna Pittsburgh"
October 9, 2026 · 5 minIf I say I’m gonna do it, I don’t necessarily mean I’m headed out the door right now to do it.
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TWTS: Dictionaries get glow-ups too
October 2, 2026 · 5 minThe New York Times announced that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary “is wordsmaxxing” and NBC News described it as a “glow-up” of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
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TWTS: The same, just more exact
September 25, 2026 · 5 minConcerns about redundancy are back this week. It's the exact same thing we’ve talked about before, but this time about the expression "exact same."
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TWTS: Fore! It's a lightning round
September 20, 2026 · 5 minThis may be one of the only times that throw pillows, golf, and curling all get wrapped into the same discussion.
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TWTS: "Proactive" gets a reaction in advance
September 11, 2026 · 5 minWhile people may agree that being proactive is a positive trait, the word proactive can elicit some very negative reactions, so to speak.
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TWTS: Cat chasing pixies? There's a word for that
September 4, 2026 · 6 minIs your cat running around in circles? Be advised, that kitty might be pixilated.
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TWTS: Old English, new boundaries
August 28, 2026 · 5 minWhen we talk about Middle English, it suggests that we know when English began and when it ends.
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TWTS: The cards language deals
August 27, 2026 · 5 minThere are lots of cards we can still play now, but we’ve lost some good ones too.
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TWTS: "Hunky dory" is doing just fine
August 14, 2026 · 5 minIf "hunky dory" means the same thing as "right as rain," then we face the question of how right rain is.
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TWTS: "Highfalutin" is too good for one spelling
August 7, 2026 · 5 minWhile we may know highfalutin language when we hear it, we don't all agree about how to spell "highfalutin" or where it comes from.
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TWTS: Be careful what you hear around the scuttlebutt
July 31, 2026 · 5 minWe exchange scuttlebutt at the proverbial water cooler, and there's an etymological clue in that.
About the show
Funner, snuck, and LOL are all things that we're hearing people say these days.That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan studies linguistics and the history of the English language. Each week she'll discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public All Things Considered host Rebecca Hector.That's What They Say airs Fridays at 4:45 p.m. and Sundays at 9:35 a.m. on Michigan Public and you can podcast it here.Do you have an English or grammar question? Ask us here!